It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Shark Week!

Published August 07, 2013

This week, our partners over at Discovery Channel are celebrating the 26th anniversary of Shark Week - a seven day program series dedicated to raising awareness and respect for these amazing animals.

Sharks have been roaming our oceans for more than 420 million years and scientists have now identified close to 500 different species of sharks ranging in size from the dwarf lanternshark (only about 6 inches in length) to the whale shark (the largest fish in the world)!

Here at the Aquarium, we're celebrating sharks all week long with programming available both on-site and online, including:

Google+ Hangout - We helped Discovery Channel kick off Shark Week with an underwater hangout featuring experts Holly Bourbon and Heather Doggett AND our brand new Blacktip Reef exhibit! Four shark enthusiasts, including YouTube star iJustine, were also invited to participate in the hangout. Holly answered their questions and questions submitted from Facebook, Twitter and Google+ fans!

Dive Chats - At 12pm EST on August 8th, Holly will be doing another live underwater chat with our Shark Cam viewers! She'll be answering questions submitted via Twitter using #sharkcam.

Shark Cam - Take a 24-7 dive into Blacktip Reef from anywhere in the world via our Shark Cam!

Education Talks from Blacktip Reef - Aquarium visitors will learn about Blacktip Reef, the sharks that live there, including the addition of a new species, the zebra shark!